ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 179768
This information is added by users of ASN. Neither ASN nor the Flight Safety Foundation are responsible for the completeness or correctness of this information.
If you feel this information is incomplete or incorrect, you can submit corrected information.
| Date: | Monday 21 September 2015 |
| Time: | 18:30 |
| Type: |  Cessna 172S Skyhawk |
| Owner/operator: | Certified Aviation Llc |
| Registration: | N347SP |
| MSN: | 172S8271 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1999 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 5542 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming IO-360 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Near Butter Valley Golf Port Airport (7N8), Bally, PA -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Bally, PA (7N8) |
| Morristown, NJ (MMU) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The commercial pilot was conducting a personal cross-country flight. Several witnesses reported observing different sequences of events. One witness reported seeing the airplane fly in a 90° right bank turn for about 10 seconds as it maneuvered underneath power lines and between two utility towers. After passing under the power lines, the airplane leveled and then impacted the ground. Another witness reported that the airplane was at a lower-than-normal altitude and seemed to be flying “erratically” and “aggressively,” and that, at one point, it was “flying on its side.” Another witness reported seeing the airplane flying with one wing pointing toward the ground. The witness statements are consistent with low-altitude aerobatic maneuvers. Although some bystanders reported that the engine sputtered and lost power and the pilot reported that a loss of engine power occurred, postaccident examination of the airframe and engine, which included a successful engine test run, revealed no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.
Toxicological testing of the pilot’s specimens revealed that he had high levels of a sedating benzodiazepine, alprazolam, within the toxic range. Additionally, he had a low level of a second sedating benzodiazepine, lorazepam. Both these medications are used to treat significant anxiety disorders, which are associated with performance deficits, particularly in high-workload spatial tasks. It is likely that the pilot’s underlying psychiatric disorders and the medications he was using to treat them impaired his judgement, executive functioning, and psychomotor skills and contributed to the accident.
Probable Cause: The pilot's failure to maintain altitude during low-level aerobatic maneuvers. Contributing to the accident were the pilot's improper decision to attempt the low-level aerobatic maneuvers and his impairment due to psychiatric conditions and the medications he was using to treat them.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
FAA register: http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=347SP
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 22-Sep-2015 01:43 | Geno | Added |
| 22-Sep-2015 01:44 | Geno | Updated [Location] |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:30 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 04-May-2017 07:46 | PiperOnslaught | Updated [Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 19-Aug-2017 14:55 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Operator, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Source, Narrative] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
The Aviation Safety Network is an exclusive service provided by:
Quick Links:
| ASN Home | Send Correction / Feedback |
| FSF Home | Disclaimer | Copyright |
| Contact Us | Privacy Policy |
| Press / Media |
CONNECT WITH US:
©2024 Flight Safety Foundation